High school | Daddy Mojo

The Six Queens of Henry VIII, non-fiction content that sticks in your head

Herman’s Hermits did more for Henry VIII than most North American schools. I just asked a group of 25 high school juniors if they knew who Henry VII was, and two students raised their hands. They knew that he had many wives, but incorrectly said that he killed all of them. To be fair, when I was a child, if a teacher had said Henry VIII we would’ve echoed it with, Herery the eighth I am, I am. Set against this backdrop is what makes The Six Queens of Henry VIII all the more remarkable. It’s an illustrated book with graphic novel element that manages to entertain audiences in equal measure to its education.

The Six Queens of Henry VIII uses varied art and succinct text to make a non-fiction book on British royalty that’s effortless to enjoy.

hIS WIVES AND hENRY vii MEET STORYTELLING TARGETED AT MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UP

Do Not Disturb, a must-read on cell phone addiction-and stopping, for kids

Stop me if you’ve heard this one, but my kid’s cell phone is driving me crazy. As a teacher I know the struggle. The answers seem easy. Take the phone away, but it’s how they socialize. Limit their cell phone time, but they might need it for school work. If they don’t learn how to deal with it now, then they’ll be even worse when they’re out of the house. The quandary of how to deal with it, simply from the perspective of an adult is challenging. Do Not Disturb: How to Say No to Your Phone is for middle or high school kids who want to know more about the problem. But, I don’t have a problem, and it’s entirely possible that you don’t, but just for the sake of discussing it, let’s kick the topic around.

Do Not Disturb, a smart phone primer on its powerful control is a book that some need to read while others will falsely deny the need for its content or assistance.

If you have a kid in middle school there’s a 90% you need this

What’s the difference between high school math and Macbeth?

The other day, during lunch I was on the school’s walking path with a math teacher. A student asked them when was the last time they used the math they learned in high school. It’s a fair question. This person, an accredited math teacher with just a hint of irony in their voice, said, “The last time I used this math in the real world was in high school.”I’ve had some students posit the same type of question to me when we start reading Shakespeare. “Why are we reading Shakespeare? Nobody talks like this anymore.” That too is a fair question, and here is what I tell my momentarily frustrated ELA friends, an answer which also assists in the math conundrum my co-worker had.

High school math and Macbeth meet in a bar, why should high school students care? The two seemingly disparate subjects have more in common then you might think.

Oh, AI AI-generated image of Macbeth, math, laser cat, show me the way..

Frankenstein and the art of high school under-achievement

For the better part of a year I’ve been teaching high school literature. For non-teachers, people who teach literature have access to large closets of books from which to choose for their classes. Sometimes they can dig into engaging books of their choosing, and other times the departments might decide on The Crucible. It’s like the wardrobe from Narnia, but it leads to a kingdom of knowledge or pain, depending on your perspective. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is in those closets. Realistically, it’s almost certainly reserved for the AP classes. However, somewhere I like to think there’s a rogue literature class, probably helmed by Mr. Escalante from Stand and Deliver. They’re being rewarded by the patient, well-told dread and gothic stench that also has romantic sensibilities.

Today’s high school kids stand a better chance at levitating off of the ground, than reading Frankenstein and understanding it.

Teacher rant in 3, 2, 1…

Rebellion 1776: A Captivating Read for Reluctant Students

Don Quixote charges at the windmill, raging at the fact that people don’t read enough. “This is actually good”, said a ninth-grade student of mine today as they were thinking about the two-page article they’d read. Granted, I had just spoken to them about their less-than-stellar grades and they were probably trying to placate me, but I’ll take it as a win. This all leads to Rebellion 1776. This is historical fiction that cooks at a slow boil, but is bubbling over the sides of the pot before you realize it.

Rebellion 1776 is historical fiction aimed at mglit readers that sneaks its way into the nightstand if you’re a fan of the genre or not.

Historical fiction to make non-fans interested

A Minecraft Movie, tween and teen greatness in a mindless wrapper

There are certain markers that define cultural zeitgeists. A Minecraft Movie is one of those instances. As a video game launched in 2011 it has a built-in fan base of millions of kids. Some of them will be knee-deep in their appreciation and fandom, others are about enter it and some stopped playing it in lieu of other games. Our family has two kids in the Minecraft interest world, both of whom had different reactions to A Minecraft Movie.

A Minecraft Movie is not for you. This is for middle through high school, maybe even college ages who played the game and want some silly.

This movie is not for you, unless you’re in middle or high school

‘Hi, Earth’: A Fresh Take on Satirical Graphic Novels

What if Team America: World Police had a graphic novel baby with The Far Side. All you’d have to do is give it a British accent, colorize it, sprinkle in more dark humor with climate change references and you’ve got Hi, Earth. It’s a bitingly funny graphic novel that will reward comic strip fans who thought they’d never see another series with revolving characters in disparate situations that are able to make you belly laugh in four panels. That’s a mouthful and if it’s too much then know that Hi, Earth is from the two that brought the very funny webcomics, War and Peas to your inbox.

Hi, Earth is the graphic novel collection of funny webcomics from War and Peas that resembles the child of Team America: World Police and The Far Side.

Ha ha? Ha ha ha!

The Other Side of Tomorrow: A Graphic Novel Review

Are hyper-realistic graphic novels a genre? I don’t think they are, but The Other Side of Tomorrow is a graphic novel that wields a mighty hammer in knocking at the doors of book classification. It’s realistic fiction, but is so realistic, both in the manner in which the illustrations are done, and the taut nature of the story that you’ll pinch yourself in gratitude that it’s not happening to you. This is a graphic novel that entertains via drama, age-appropriate political intrigue, familial love and armchair travel. Moreover, The Other Side of Tomorrow manages to tell its story alongside one of the greatest geographic areas and humanitarian crises that middle school kids never learn about, North Korea.

The Other Side of Tomorrow is a realistic fiction graphic novel whose potentially heavy topic is buoyed by the art, presentation and pacing of the story.

A graphic novel as art, entertainment and discussion